Anglo-Irish Trade Agreement
Encyclopedia
The Anglo-Irish Trade Agreement was signed on 25 April 1938 by Ireland
and the United Kingdom
. It aimed to resolve the Anglo-Irish Trade War
which had been on-going from 1933.
The treaty stated that the 20% tariffs that both the United Kingdom and Ireland placed on their respective imported goods were to be abolished.
Ireland was also to pay a final one time £10 million sum to the United Kingdom for the "land annuities" derived from financial loans originally granted to Irish tenant farmers by the British government to enable them purchase lands under the Irish Land Acts
pre-1922, a provision which was part of the 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty
(to compensate Anglo-Irish land-owners for compulsory purchase of their lands in Ireland mainly through the Irish Land Commission
).
The Trade Agreement was portrayed as advantageous for the newly-reconstituted
Irish state, as the remaining land annuities liability under a 1925 agreement was £11.75 millions (in annual repayments of £250,000 over sixty years). The apparently favourable "saving" of £1,175,000 was made much of on the Irish side, but more than matched what the British would have gradually lost over the 47 years, if the value was discounted on the Time value of money
basis. It was convenient for both sides to close the matter.
The United Kingdom also ended its use of the "Treaty Ports
" (Queenstown (Cobh
), Berehaven and Lough Swilly
) as agreed in the Anglo-Irish Treaty
that ended the Anglo-Irish War
.
The Trade Agreement including the return of the Treaty Ports was given effect in the United Kingdom through the Eire (Confirmation of Agreements) Act 1938
.
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. It aimed to resolve the Anglo-Irish Trade War
Anglo-Irish Trade War
The Anglo-Irish Trade War was a retaliatory trade war between the Irish Free State and the United Kingdom lasting from 1932 until 1938...
which had been on-going from 1933.
The treaty stated that the 20% tariffs that both the United Kingdom and Ireland placed on their respective imported goods were to be abolished.
Ireland was also to pay a final one time £10 million sum to the United Kingdom for the "land annuities" derived from financial loans originally granted to Irish tenant farmers by the British government to enable them purchase lands under the Irish Land Acts
Irish Land Acts
The Land Acts were a series of measures to deal with the question of peasant proprietorship of land in Ireland in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Five such acts were introduced by the government of the United Kingdom between 1870 and 1909...
pre-1922, a provision which was part of the 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty
Anglo-Irish Treaty
The Anglo-Irish Treaty , officially called the Articles of Agreement for a Treaty Between Great Britain and Ireland, was a treaty between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and representatives of the secessionist Irish Republic that concluded the Irish War of...
(to compensate Anglo-Irish land-owners for compulsory purchase of their lands in Ireland mainly through the Irish Land Commission
Irish Land Commission
The Irish Land Commission was created in 1881 as a rent fixing commission by the Land Law Act 1881, also known as the second Irish Land Act...
).
The Trade Agreement was portrayed as advantageous for the newly-reconstituted
Constitution of Ireland
The Constitution of Ireland is the fundamental law of the Irish state. The constitution falls broadly within the liberal democratic tradition. It establishes an independent state based on a system of representative democracy and guarantees certain fundamental rights, along with a popularly elected...
Irish state, as the remaining land annuities liability under a 1925 agreement was £11.75 millions (in annual repayments of £250,000 over sixty years). The apparently favourable "saving" of £1,175,000 was made much of on the Irish side, but more than matched what the British would have gradually lost over the 47 years, if the value was discounted on the Time value of money
Time value of money
The time value of money is the value of money figuring in a given amount of interest earned over a given amount of time. The time value of money is the central concept in finance theory....
basis. It was convenient for both sides to close the matter.
The United Kingdom also ended its use of the "Treaty Ports
Treaty Ports (Ireland)
Following the establishment of the Irish Free State, three deep water Treaty Ports at Berehaven, Queenstown and Lough Swilly were retained by the United Kingdom as sovereign bases in accordance with the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 6 December 1921...
" (Queenstown (Cobh
Cobh
Cobh is a seaport town on the south coast of County Cork, Ireland. Cobh is on the south side of Great Island in Cork Harbour. Facing the town are Spike Island and Haulbowline Island...
), Berehaven and Lough Swilly
Lough Swilly
Lough Swilly in Ireland is a glacial fjord or sea inlet lying between the western side of the Inishowen Peninsula and the Fanad Peninsula, in County Donegal. Along with Carlingford Lough and Killary Harbour it is one of three known glacial fjords in Ireland....
) as agreed in the Anglo-Irish Treaty
Anglo-Irish Treaty
The Anglo-Irish Treaty , officially called the Articles of Agreement for a Treaty Between Great Britain and Ireland, was a treaty between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and representatives of the secessionist Irish Republic that concluded the Irish War of...
that ended the Anglo-Irish War
Irish War of Independence
The Irish War of Independence , Anglo-Irish War, Black and Tan War, or Tan War was a guerrilla war mounted by the Irish Republican Army against the British government and its forces in Ireland. It began in January 1919, following the Irish Republic's declaration of independence. Both sides agreed...
.
The Trade Agreement including the return of the Treaty Ports was given effect in the United Kingdom through the Eire (Confirmation of Agreements) Act 1938
Eire (Confirmation of Agreements) Act 1938
The Eire Act 1938 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom passed on 17 May 1938. It was the British implementing measure for the 1938 Anglo-Irish Agreements which were signed at London on 25 April 1938 by the Governments of Ireland and the United Kingdom...
.
External links
- Dáil Éireann - Volume 71 - 27 April, 1938 — Dáil debate on the treaty ratification.
- Dáil Éireann - Volume 71 - 28 April, 1938 — conclusion of the Dáil debate.
- Finance (Agreement with United Kingdom) Act, 1938 — actAct of ParliamentAn Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
passed by the OireachtasOireachtasThe Oireachtas , sometimes referred to as Oireachtas Éireann, is the "national parliament" or legislature of Ireland. The Oireachtas consists of:*The President of Ireland*The two Houses of the Oireachtas :**Dáil Éireann...
giving effect to the treaty.